


Disk Reading Error

by WorldsFool



Category: Persona 5
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-01-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:27:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22191778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WorldsFool/pseuds/WorldsFool
Summary: Aisho Suzuhime has been friends with Ryuji since grade school. They got along just fine with it being the two of them. But Aisho has to admit, things have gotten very interesting since meeting the new transfer student.He certainly seems to know what he's doing.
Relationships: Kurusu Akira/Original Female Character(s), Sakamoto Ryuji/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ask that you all be gentle with me. I am writing this while combating some serious depression. My docs got me on some new anti-depressants and I think they're working because I have the urge to write but still feel really shitty when it's done.
> 
> This story has been posted before but I took it down. Now it's coming back up and will be staying.

Aisho Suzuhime is seven years old when she meets Ryuji Sakamoto. 

She sits on the swingset of the elementary school playground, staring out into the dusk sunset with disinterested eyes as the teachers talk amongst themselves about who should be the one to call her father again. It is not the first time that she has been stood up by her dad, left for too many hours at the school and awaiting pick up. It certainly wouldn’t be the last, as she is sure tomorrow he will be held up at the office, or late getting home. She’s already used to being forgotten at school and alone. It is nothing new.

She pushes her long brown hair behind her ears. A butterfly barrett keeps her bangs out of her face. Her mother had called it beautiful before she left and because of that Aisho wouldn’t let anyone cut it, always putting up such a fierce, hand biting fight that her father eventually just gave up and let the girl keep it long.

“And Featherman Hawk swoops in to save the day. Woosh!” Another boy plays in the park. His parents late too. He played in the sandbox opposite of her and crashed his action figure into the mound of grain he had built, stirring it up and laughing as he did. The girl tilts her head at him and makes a sour face at how roughly he treated his toy. If he kept playing in the sand with it then it’s parts wouldn’t move anymore but that didn’t seem to deter the black haired kid as he twisted the arms and legs, making the figure walk along to wooden edge of the box.

His brown eyes meet her and Aisho stares at him, not backing down from the challenge as he stands up and approaches, his shadow falling over and mixing with hers. She kicked her feet and absentmindedly started to swing as he smiled and introduced himself.

“My name is Ryuji, what’s yours?”

She straightened her back, like her mother had taught her to introduce herself and replied.

“I’m Aisho.” He gives her a beaming smile, so bright she almost had to cover her eyes. He’s missing a front tooth.

“Wanna play, Aisho?” She tilts her head at him.

“What should we play?” She asks. He gestures to his action figure, a man clad in a red outfit with a mask over his face. She doesn’t recognize it.

“How about Phoenix Ranger Featherman?” It was obvious that, that had something to do with the action figure. Ryuji looks at her lost expression and raised a brow. “Do you not watch the show?”

“Dad brings me to school before I get a chance to watch TV. And by the time I get home it’s already bed time.”

“What? That’s not fair!” She shrugs her shoulders, she wouldn’t really know if it was or not.

“If you don’t watch TV then what do you do?” She nodded to the bookbag that sat at the flagpole beside Ryuji’s own.

“I read.” He blows a raspberry at the statement and rolls on the balls of his feet.

“That’s boring. Play Featherman with me.” She blinks.

“But, I don’t know how to play.”

“I’ll teach you. All we gotta do is beat up the monster. Oh but first we gotta decide what color Featherman you’ll be.” He smiled and held up the figure for her to better look at. “He’s Feather Hawk, he’s the leader of the group and my favorite so, I get to be red.”

“But I like red.” She muttered and held her hand out. Ryuji gives her a smile and let’s her hold the toy. She turns it over in her hand before looking out to the sunset again. “Is there an orange Featherman?”

Ryuji smiles and shakes his head. “No, but I’m sure you would be a great one. A Feather Sparrow.” He gasps, eyes lighting up. “Ohh or maybe even an eagle.” She had no idea what he was talking about but he seemed to vibrate with excitement and that made her smile.

“Okay, I’ll be Feather Eagle then.” Ryuji grins and bounces a bit in place, taking his action figure back from her and charging forward.

“Come on Feather Eagle!” He bellowed, making his voice deeper and striking a pose with his arms held above his head. He looked like a big V. It probably has something to do with the show, a pose they did. “Let’s defend the city!”

That’s how Urahara Sakamoto found her son when she came to pick him up for the day, playing with a lonely girl who had made her first real friend. The black haired child recognized his mother and calls her over, introducing her to Aisho with a smile as the girl politely bowed her head to the older woman. The last remaining teacher at the school is exasperated as Urahara signs her son out.

“Her father isn’t picking up the phone and I’m beginning to think I need to call in at my second job.” She huffs and crosses her arms. 

“This is a recurring thing, I’m starting to think he may as well home school her. It’s causing such a pain for us teachers to have to wait for so long. We’ve even started drawing straws to see who has to stay.”

Aisho plays with Ryuji as Urahara offers to stay with the young girl until her father arrives. The teacher is more than happen to dump her work on the mother.

Aisho remains at the park with them until the first star begins to show in the sky. Her father arrives and it’s not Urahara’s place to scold him but instead she gives Daisuke Suzuhime a forced smile. She introduces herself and she gave him an offer, seeing as the two children enjoy playing together.

Eventually the offer of just staying late with Aisho for Ryuji to play with her until her father came became taking Aisho home for playdates, waiting for her father to pick her up.

Aisho began to think of Urahara as a second mom with a week and Ryuji as a brother in two.


	2. Chapter 2

Aisho’s hair liked to curl when it rains. Really, it’s the humidity in the air that does it. A drop had yet to fall from above, though the thunder was threatening. Her insistent pressing of the wild brown and blond locks makes her wish she had grabbed a bobby pin or a scrunchy before leaving the house. Her butterfly hairpin tried in vain to keep her bangs from her eyes. Maybe Ryuji would have a rubber band at home that she could use? Damn the rubber and how it wasn’t good for the hair, as more of her long bangs refused to stay out of her eyes Aisho ends up wishing she had cut it all off instead of just sticking with an undercut.

She sighed, giving up as she came upon a familiar apartment complex and started scaling the steps. The keychain on her bag jangled with colorful characters from cartoon shows and anime, her most favorite ones having paint and color rubbed off by idle hands that liked to play with the little figures when she was bored. Her black boots clopped against the staircase as she carried herself past the second and third floor, turning down the hallway at the fourth and running her fingers along the wall as she walked for door number eight.

The buzzer nagged as she pressed down on the doorbell, giving the slab of wood a small kick with the toe of her shoe.

“Hey Ryuji! Open up!” She shouted, and dug her hands into the black pleather jacket she wore over her school uniform. She drug out her phone and looked over the time, pressing the doorbell again and giving the door another hard kick. 

“If you want breakfast you better let me in now while we’ve still got time!” She kicked the door a third time, not the least bit sorry that she left a little bit of a footprint behind. Her fourth kick is nearly into the shin of her best friend as the door is wretched open and a tired, glassy eyed boy is standing in front of her. His pants sagged on his hips without the belt and suspenders holding them up but that was normal. And his usual yellow shirt was on backwards.

“Stop kickin’ the door Aisho. You leave a scuff then Mom’s gonna be mad at you.” The girl shrugged, not really caring at the moment. She eyes at his messy hair, standing up whichever way and smirked.

“You look like you just threw on what was in your laundry basket and went back to sleep.” He yawned, rubbing one of his eyes.

“I was asleep, then you startin’ knocking.” She clicked her tongue and shoved her way in, depositing her bag near the door and pulling off her shoes.

“You eat yet?” He shook his head, walking back into the living room and face planting on to the couch. The news was playing and warning of some bus accident.

“I just said I was asleep before you got here.” Aisho rummaged through the draws of the kitchen isle, smiling triumphantly when she found a single rubber band. It was dingy and nearly black, it was so dirty, but she took what she could get. Pulling her hair, she made a sloppy braid before tying it up and sighed in relief as the bangs no longer plagued her, falling over her shoulder instead.

“Your shirts on backwards.” She comments, looking through the lower kitchen cabinets for a skillet.

The boy groans at the miniscule effort that has to be made to turn his shirt over, pulling the yellow article over his head and turning it around. Aisho stares as he refits the tee and gives her a look.

“There. Better?” He makes a show to smile wide at her, full of teeth and crabby snark.

“You’re getting fat.” She comments without mercy, watching as the boy playfully doubles over. 

“Why do I keep feeding you so much?” She digs through the fridge for the eggs that she knew would be there. Mom always kept the fridge stocked, no matter how late she was working.

“Because you love me.” 

“In your dreams.” She responds with a roll over her eyes, cracking an egg over the pan and cursing as she forgot to grease it first.

“Why are you in such a hurry? It’s still just the first week of school. Same old shit, different year.” She grabs a spatula and flips over the eggs, making a face as the yolk dribbles on the pan. An omelet is turned into scrambled and Aisho get’s two plates down and divides up the breakfast.

“I don’t want to be late.”

“Why? Hoping that the rumors died over the summer?” 

Right, the rumors.

Their first year of high school, Ryuji had joined the track team and Aisho joined gymnastics. While Aisho may not have put forth all that much effort in her chosen sport Ryuji took to track like a fish to water. She would often leave practice early to catch his training routine and give him encouragement from the stands. It didn’t take long before Ryuji became the team’s star runner.

Then Kamoshida took over as couch.

Aisho got to witness the strenuous training and borderline abusive regiment that the couch belted out. She watched as the track members and Ryuji put up with it for the longest time before one day her friend snapped and Kamoshida had snapped his leg.

She was not there that day but she was there for Ryuji every day after, copying the homework assignments and making sure Ryuji kept up to date on his studies so as to not fall too far behind. She defended her friend when many of the students go on to believe Kamoshida’s lie of ‘self-defense.’

Kamoshida hounded after her. Gave her false smiles and tried to get her alone with him. She shut him down real quick. Ignored his advances and glared any chance she got.

Somewhere along the line a rumor started that she was sleeping with Ryuji and would sleep with anyone who paid her.

Aisho shook her head and walked over to Ryuji, handing him his plate and sat down beside him.

“I could care less about the rumors. I’m excited cause I’ve got the same homeroom class as you.” He makes an agreeable noise as he digs into his eggs, polishing them off at record speed. Aisho, on the other hand, took her time savoring every bite.

“That’s really what you’re excited about?” She hummed and shook her head.

“No.” Ryuji huffed as he stood up and put his dish in the sink. “Do something about your hair.” She suggested, getting a groan.

“Nag, nag, nag. You’ll make a wonderful wife someday.” She chuckled as he ran his hands through his hair and tried to get it halfway decent on his own before giving up and taking off towards the bathroom.

Her own breakfast finished, Aisho gave her phone another look and quickly put her dish in the dishwasher, shoving Ryuji’s own in as well. She walked back towards the front door and starts putting her boots on, hearing the sink run in the bathroom.

“Hurry up!”

“I’m coming.” And the boy emerged looking normal.

“Great, now let’s go. Hopefully we can beat the rain.” He nods, shoving his Converse on and grabbing the key from the table.

As they stepped out a bolt of lightning lit up the sky. Ryuji whistles at the sight and locks the door behind him.

“It’s really supposed to storm, huh?”

“Not till this afternoon. Now, come on!” Ryuji is repeating what she said an hour later as they’re off the subway at Ayoama-Itchome and ducking under awning after awning on their way to school.

“Not till the afternoon, my ass!” She gives a manic laugh at his bad attitude.

“Come on Ryuji, where’s your sense of adventure?”

“Runnin’ in the rain isn’t a “adventure”.” She giggles at him, stopping to adjust the collar of her jacket and wipe some of the rain off her. The boy comes to a panting stop, hunching over beside her, and massaging his bad leg. She gives him a brief look of pity, feeling genuinely bad now.

“You okay?” He nods, straightening up and sniffing, wiping his nose on his sleeve.

“I’m fine. Why do we gotta run? We’re already here, might as well take the rest slow.”

“I’m manic.” He chokes on a laugh and responds sarcastically.

“No? Really?” She bumps shoulders with him, playful. Her giggling cuts off as she watches him give a serious look ahead.

“It’s Kamoshida.” She turns, seeing a familiar car pulled up to the side of the road. The passenger side window was down and the driver was obviously talking. Aisho felt her smile slip off her face as she recognizes one of the students being talked to.

“Ann.” She mutters. While they had grown distant since last year, they did keep each other’s name in contacts. At least, Aisho did. She would always join up when she’d seen her and Shiho in the Underground Mall. They would usually catch up over some soda. They haven’t done that for a while now but seeing the girl getting into the passenger side of the familiar car has Aisho’s looking suddenly become disinterested.

The girl just willingly leapt into the jaws of the lion. Aisho wasn’t going to feel sorry for her over that. Ryuji on the other hand bounced on his feet and ran over.

“Wait, Takamaki!” Aisho followed behind, thought not running quiet as fast as him, instead enjoying how her boots sounded when they clapped against the wet ground. She came to stand beside Ryuji as he watched the tail-lights of the car vanish on ahead.

“Dammit...Screw that pervy teacher.” The boy cursed, stuffing his hands into his pockets. Aisho linked her pinky finger around one of his suspenders and sighs.

“I don’t know why you tried. He’s in a car. What, did you think you could catch up to him?”

“Pervy teacher, huh?” Aisho turned at the voice and found a black haired student standing under the awning with them. He wore black framed classes and the Shujin Uniform, standing there with his phone out. Aisho searched his face but couldn’t place it, then again she didn’t care to recognize anyone that wasn’t in their class.

For some reason he was staring at her.

“What do you want?” Ryuji asked, giving the boy a once over and glare. “You plann’ on rattin’ me out to Kamoshida?” The black haired boy’s eyes snapped to Ryuji and he shook his head, pocketing his phone.

“No, that’s not it. Just...It’s not something you hear every day.” Ryuji scoffs, looking to the side where the car was once parked.

“He does whatever the hell he wants. Who does he think he is--the king of a castle?” The blond looked back to the new guy with earnest eyes. “Don’t you agree?”

The boy looked between Ryuji and Aisho with a tightly pulled lip. Aisho raised a brow as he shifted from foot to foot.

“You mean the school is his castle?” It sounded forced, like his was carefully picking his words. He looked between her and Ryuji, almost nervous.

‘Right, you would be too if you were faced with the delinquent student of Shujin Academy and his whore girlfriend.’ Aisho sighed, and pocketed her hands, looking up over the awning at the falling rain.

“Uh, it’s just a sayin’...” Ryuji smiled and looked him over, crossing his arms. “Wait...You don’t know Kamoshida? Are you for real?” At the question, Aisho perked up looking back at him and giving the boy another once over.

Again, his eyes were on her. She tries to make nice with him, giving a fake smile.

“You’re from Shujin, right?” She asked, getting a raised brow before he finally smiled back.

“Yeah, I’m a transfer.” Her nose scrunches.

‘Transfer…?’ It dawns on her about the rumors going around the school the past few days.

‘I heard he’s in the Yazuka.’ The girl who sat opposite of her in class, muttering to her best friend over the phone. ‘A real bad guy. He carries a knife with him and everything.’ Aisho shook her head, coming back to the real world.

‘He can’t be that transfer.’ Their eyes locked and she’s the first to turn away, not caring enough to keep a staring contest with him. Ryuji whipped his nose with a nod of his head.

“Oh, then no wonder you don’t know him.” Aisho held her hand out under the awning, pulling Ryuji by his suspenders.

“Rains letting up. We should head to school or we’ll be late.” Ryuji nodded, about to follow but gave the transfer a welcoming smile.

“You wanna come with? We know a shortcut.” The boy seemed to debate with himself before giving a hesitant nod of his head.

“Yeah, sure.”

Aisho was about to step forward before a pain throbbed behind her eyes. She winced, drawing her hand up to pinch at the bridge between them.

“Uuugh, my head hurts…” Ryuji whined. Aisho grumbles to herself. “Dammit...I wanna go home…” Aisho hummed acknowledgingly as they came up to the usual alley. She fell back, letting Ryuji lead the rest of the way and gave the transfer another fake smile. The boy’s steel eyes were staring right into her soul. What the hell was he looking at?

‘Oh no, don’t tell me he already knows about the rumors.’ She huffed and turned her back to him. ‘Great, no point in even bothering with him then.’

“So, transfer. Where’re you from?” Ryuji asked from ahead.

“Yamaguchi.” He responds, Aicho can’t help but raise a brow. That was a six hour commute to Shibuya.

She just said that she wasn’t going to bother with him but can’t help but ask.

“What brings you to Shibuya, transfer?”

“My name is Akira.” She nods, not bothering to make note, she would play along until they got to school and then would probably forget his name. Not that she believed the rumors but it was just more unnecessary drama.

Then again...She sighed to herself and looks at the blond walking ahead. Ryuji could always use another friend, he’s been depressed lately since his old ones want nothing more to do with him. Sure, Aisho is fine with them getting along with each other but Ryuji needed a guy pal.

“I’m Aisho.” She introduced herself and pointed ahead. “He’s Ryuji.”

“I can introduce myself just fine, Aish--...What?.” Aisho looked up and stopped to stare, her eyes wide.

A golden brick castle was ahead, towering over them even in the distance. The girl blinked and took a step forward, looking this way and that to find that the streets had vanished. Instead, a mote surrounded the brilliant structure with a complimentary drawbridge to keep out trespassers, though the bridge was down. The front plate on the building, decorated with shrubbery read Shujin but Aisho had a hard time believing it.

The sky was a claying pink with an overcast of swirling purple clouds. Despite the change of scenery, it still continued to rain and the puddles of water on the walk shimmered like glass. Aisho squinted her eyes, seeing something shift inside of them, a reflection that looked like the normal school. She looked between what she was seeing and what was in front of her, rubbing at her eyes when she briefly sees the two overlap.

‘What the hell?’

“We didn’t...come the wrong way though...” Ryuji asked, looking back towards the alley they had just walked in from. Aisho followed his gaze, nothing seemed out of the ordinary there. “Yeah, this should be right.”

“We are seeing this, right?” She asked, turning to the transfer, to see his eyes set dead ahead. His friendly demeanor seemed to have changed, turning sour as his lips pulled down into a disgusted frown.

She didn’t like the sight either but she didn’t look like she wanted to set fire to the place.

“What’s goin’ on here?” Ryuji asked. Aisho looked back to the puddles to see students entering the normal looking building. Akira took a step forward, pushing his sagging glasses up.

“Only one way to find out.” Ryuji gives a hesitant nod as Aisho nearly stumbles at the suggestion.

“Wait, we’re going towards the freaky building?”

Ryuji gives her a look over his shoulder.

“What else are we supposed to do?” He smirks, “Why? Ya scared? Come on, Aisho. Where’s your sense of adventure?” He mocked her once words back at her. She crossed her arms with a stern look.

“I am not.”

“Then come on.” Her instincts were shouting at her to go back the way they came but seeing as Ryuji was already going forward she grumbled and stepped into place beside him. Her pinky comes out to wrap around one of his suspenders and she glared at the offending structure. 

Now, she wanted to set it on fire.  



End file.
